


i've had dreams of boston all of my life

by paperback92



Series: Iron Dad Bingo [4]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: College, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Iron Dad, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Compliant, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Mid-Credits Scene Compliant, Road Trips, peter is over dramatic and is not having fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-21 05:24:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20688209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperback92/pseuds/paperback92
Summary: Peter had been kidnapped.He’d snatched out of his bed in the early morning hours, all by Iron Man, none the less.“Pete, come on.” His kidnapped pleaded, tapping on the passenger car door window that Peter had locked himself into.Or:Tony surprises Peter with an impromptu road trip to visit colleges and it doesn't go over well.Trope: College





	i've had dreams of boston all of my life

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to denial! 
> 
> Tony is alive and thriving. No one knows who Spider-Man is. AND he's still in the MCU. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Peter had been kidnapped.

He’d snatched out of his bed in the early morning hours, all by Iron Man, none the less. 

Okay, maybe Peter was being over dramatic, but he did not sign up for this. He’d been dragged on this road trip under false pretenses and would have most defiantly passed if he’d know all the details. 

“Pete, come on.” His kidnapped pleaded, tapping on the passenger car door window that Peter had locked himself into. 

Peter figured that Tony could easily get into the car if he’d really wanted to, which told him that Tony was feeling, at least, a little guilty about the situation. Or he thought Peter was having a nervous breakdown and was humoring him. 

Either way, Peter ignored him, electing to cross his arms together tighter and glare out the front window at the IHOP they were parked at instead of letting Tony in the car. The people inside stared at them. 

He didn’t even glance Tony’s way when the man knocked on the glass again. 

“Come on, buddy. Let me in. I’m pretty sure that hostess is two seconds away from calling the cops and I’m honestly not sure how well I can convince them that this isn’t a kidnapping situation.” 

“It’d be hard considering that’s what this is.” Peter snapped and Tony huffed in frustration. 

Peter took a brief second to wonder how he got here. Not literally. He knew how he’d ended up in this parking lot. He’d been kidnapped, remember? No mystery there. 

No, more like how his personal journey led him from once dreading the very thought of disappointing or upsetting Tony Stark to now being so angry at the man that he was tempted to save that hostess her minutes and call the police himself. 

“Listen,” Tony said. “I can admit that it may not have been the brightest of ideas not to tell you where we were going. But, buddy, I’ll be honest. I’m not entirely sure what’s happening right now. I really didn’t think it’d be this big of a deal.” 

And it wasn’t. Not really. In the grand scheme of things, Peter knew it wasn’t. 

But he just couldn’t shake off the swirl of negative emotions. It festered under his breastbone. It burned like acid. Like it’d dissolve through his ribs and erode his heart. 

Tony couldn’t have known. Peter never told him. In fact, Peter himself hadn’t even given much thought to it since that day. That is until Tony excitedly let their destination slip. 

But he had told Tony that he wasn’t thinking about college right now. His life had been so crazy lately. Thanos, dying, coming back to life and he just didn’t feel like dealing with college at the moment. He’d _told_ Tony that. 

But yet, here they were. 

Angry, frustrated tears pricked at his eyes and Peter rubbed them away, almost knocking off his sunglasses. Being tired wasn’t helping the situation much either. He didn’t think he’d gotten a decent night’s sleep since, well, probably Titan if he was being honest. 

Every comment from every well-intention adult about how well Peter was adjusting played in his head like a broken record. If they could only see him now: crying in the front seat of Tony Stark’s Audi over a college scouting road trip. 

What was the expression? The straw that broke the camel’s back. Or spider’s, in this case. 

“Ok, change of plans.” Tony bargained as the crowd inside the restaurant was joined by what looked like the manger on her cell phone. “How about this, we forget about food? We go find a hotel instead, take a break, and figure all this out. How’s that sound?” 

Peter wasn’t thrilled about the implication of talking, but sleeping in a real bed instead of the car sounded nice. He nodded and Tony blew out a relieved breath. 

“All right, cool. So, if I walk around to my door, you’re going to let me in?” 

Peter hit the unlock button. He watched Tony hustle to the driver’s side and hop in like he was afraid Peter would change his mind. He felt Tony watching him out of the corner of his eyes while they rolled out of the parking lot and down the highway. The silence was thick with tension before Tony finally broke it. 

“I gotta say kid, getting the silent treatment is unnerving coming from a chatty Cathy like yourself.” 

Peter ignored him and kept ignoring him until they stopped at a hotel. 

It was nice. Not by Tony Stark standards, it was no Ritz Carlton, but it was an improvement over the dozens of roach motels they’d passed. 

Peter trailed silently behind Tony as he marched through the lobby to the front desk like he owed the place. They walked up just in time to hear the stuffy middle-aged employee tell the man in front of them that, regrettably, every room was booked, thank you, and have a good night. 

Then Peter watched simultaneously in real time the poor rejected sap dejectedly made his way back to from whist he came and the front desk employee realize who was next in line. Miraculously, a suite suddenly became available. 

Like the rest of the hotel, it was nice. The room had a bedroom, kitchenette, living area, and a bathroom that Peter locked himself before Tony could even put their bags down. 

He pressed his forehead against the cool glass of the mirror and focused on breathing. His hands shook. He flexed them, but it did nothing to steady them. 

Tony knocked lightly on the door. “Hey kid, I’m going to rustle us up some food if you okay?” 

“Yeah.” Peter croaked, then cleared his throat, trying again and breaking his vow of silence. “Yeah.” 

He started filling up the bathtub as soon as he heard the door click shut. He turned the dial as far right as it’d go, getting the water as hot as possible. He let it fill to the edge before he slid in. 

It felt good. Peter couldn’t remember the last time he took a bath just because. He used to soak all the time when he first started out as Spider-Man. The hot water would sooth his aching muscles after rough patrols. The tub in his and May’s new “blip” apartment was too cramped for after patrol soaks. 

As nice as the bath was, it wasn’t enough to make Peter forget why he was upset. It also didn’t stop the ghost of Ben’s words from rattling around in his brain. 

_Just wait, Pete. Senior year those acceptance letters will flood in and we’ll go check them out. All of them, just the two of us. _

Peter held his breath and slipped under the water. He stayed under until the only thing he could hear was his own heartbeat pounding away. 

*** 

By the time Peter dragged himself out of the tub, his skin pink and pruned, Tony still wasn’t back. 

He wasn’t sure of it was because Tony was having trouble finding food or if he was giving Peter a chance to collect himself, but either way, Peter took advantage of the delay. He quickly changed into his pajamas and buried himself underneath the covers of the queen-sized beds that sat closest to the wall. 

The room door opened just as Peter tugged the blankets up around his ears. The smell of food reached him, turning his stomach, and it wasn’t long after that he heard Tony’s tentative footsteps towards the bedroom. 

“Kid?” Tony called out softly. “Soup’s on.” 

Peter didn’t answer. He concentrated on not moving and evened out his breathes, feigning sleep. He was pretty sure that Tony didn’t buy it though. Making a habit of passing out during movie nights, ensured that Tony knew what Peter looked like when he was asleep. 

But Tony said nothing. He just stood in the doorway long enough that Peter actually started to doze off. He barely registered Tony’s tired sigh as he left. 

Peter fell asleep soon after, drifting off to the sounds of Tony shuffling around in the next room. 

*** 

_Spiders crawled up Peter’s arms. He tried to shake them off but they wouldn’t budge. They only fell off at the sound of the gunshot that echoed loudly around him. They dropped to the floor into the puddle of spilled soda that crept across the titled floor and mixed in with Uncle Ben’s blood. _

Peter woke up with a strangled gasp. 

He scrambled to sit up, his chest heaving. He couldn’t get his limbs to cooperate though and his arms collapsed underneath him, slick with cold sweat. 

The bed dipped down and a warm hand pressed itself against his forehead. 

Peter felt bad for waking May up when she had work in the morning. Wait, no, that wasn’t right, he remembered suddenly. May wasn’t here. 

“Easy, Pete. You’re okay.” Tony soothed, and the memories came flooding back to Peter. He wilted back against the pillows. A calloused thumb swept a thumb across his temple. “Bad dream?” 

Peter nodded. He realized that he was shaking only after Tony pulled the covers up around him. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Tony asked after Peter caught his breath. 

“Not really.” Peter whispered into the dark. He expected Tony to leave, but he didn’t. Instead, the hand that rested on his forehead moved up into his sweaty curls; fingernails scratching lightly against his scalp. It relaxed him, steadily sending him back to the edge of sleep until Tony’s voice brought him back. 

“How did I screw this up so bad, kid?” 

He wasn’t sure if Tony was sincerely asking or if he thought Peter was asleep, but the hurt in his voice shot right through Peter’s chest, making it ache. 

“It’s not your fault.” Peter slurred sleepily. “You didn’t know.” 

“Know what?” 

“Ben’s plan.” 

“Oh.” Tony’s hand stilled for just a second before continuing its route. “What was it?” 

A tear slipped out from his closed eyes. “A road trip, to go visit colleges.” 

Peter heard Tony inhale sharply before cursing under his breath. Then calloused, but gentle fingers wiped away the tears from his face. 

“I’m sorry, kid.” He said so softly and sincerely, that guilt slammed into Peter. 

He’d be acting like a brat over something Tony hadn’t even known about. He’d went through the effort of planning this trip, had taken time out of his busy life for Peter, and he’d ruined it. 

“No, I’m sorry.” Peter hiccuped wetly, covering his face his hands, dislodging Tony’s in the process. “I ruined it. I-I’m sorry.” 

“Pete, no.” Tony objected quickly. He shifted on the bed, sitting up and prodding Peter to do the same. He tugged lightly at Peter’s hands. “Hey, look at me for a second.” 

Peter did as he was told, seeing Tony watch him through blurred vision. He couldn’t imagine what of mess he looked like, but the man’s face softened at it. His mouth pulled up into a sad smile. 

“It’s been a rough few months, huh bud?” 

The question was rhetorical, but Peter hiccuped again and nodded anyway as Tony pulled him close. He let himself be led, not hesitating to nuzzle in closer, pressing his ear against Tony’s chest. 

Peter didn’t realize he was dozing until Tony starting humming. He flinched, the sound surprising him but Tony just shushed Peter gently and buried a hand back into his hair. 

He fell back asleep to Tony’s song and the steady beat of his heart. 

*** 

When Peter woke up, he was alone. 

He let himself lay there for a few moments, stretching out in the rays of the morning sun that peeked through the window. He could hear Tony in the next room. Plates and glasses clattered together and Peter grinned when he heard Tony curse up a blue streak over a stubbed toe. 

He was content to stay in bed until the smell of pancakes reached him. Then his stomach quickly reminded him of the dinner he’d skipped the night before. He rolled out of bed and make his way into the other room. 

Tony was there, hunched over nursing his sore toe but he straightened up with a smile when Peter walked in. 

“Morning.” 

“Morning.” Peter greeted back as he sat on the couch. Tony placed a plate filled with a tall stack of pancakes on the coffee table in front of him. 

“Complements of room service. Dig in.” 

Peter didn’t need to be told twice. He made quick work of it and as soon as he took his last bite, his plate was replaced with a second. 

When he finally came up for air, Tony was watching. Realizing he’d been caught, he sniffed lightly and turned away. He grabbed his phone and fiddled with it. “So, are we cool?” 

“Yeah.” Peter answered immediately. “It was my fault, anyway. Not yours.” 

“It’s no one’s fault. No, I’m serious,” Tony said, stopping Peter’s protest before it could begin. He paused, opening and closing his mouth a few times as if weighing his words, before speaking. 

“Grief is a funny thing, Pete.” He started, his eyes darkening a little. Peter remembered the way Tony told stories about his parents. Even the happiest of stories had a sad edge to them. It was the same way he shared stories about Uncle Ben. “It lessens to a degree through time but it never really goes away. And it has this terrible, annoying habit of flaring up when you least expect it. Like, just for instance, when you’re secretly stressed out and haven’t been properly sharing with the adults in your life.” 

That last part was paired with a pointed look that Peter ducked his head to avoid. The hand that ruffled his hair softened the blow. 

“Trust me, I’ve been there, kid. Do you know why I never eat lasagna?” Peter shook his head. “Because it reminds me of a particularly vivid memory of cooking it with my mom and I burst into tears as soon as I smell one.” 

Oh god. Now Peter felt horrible because that was something he’d teased Tony about multiple times. The guilt must have been written all over his face, because before he could apologize Tony rolled his eyes. 

“Geez, I didn’t tell you that to guilt trip you. I’m just saying, I understand. And I’m sorry I didn’t check with you before I kidnapped you. Consider my lesson learned and don’t you dare try to apologize again. Capiche?” 

“Capiche.” Peter agreed, still thoroughly shamed anyway despite Tony’s best efforts. 

Tony rolled his eyes again but this time with a fond smile. He clapped his hands together. “All right, now that we’ve gotten all the emotional crap out of way, I’d like to propose something. No one is expecting us back for another week, so how about we do something crazy and actually go on a road trip? No college scouting, no deep introspective musings , we already did that. Just you, me, and the open road.” 

That actually sounded nice. Because of May’s schedule and the shifts that Ben would use to have to pull, Peter had never really been on a road trip. Well, besides the one he’d just been tricked into but he wasn’t going to count that. 

“Sure.” 

Tony beamed and slide his phone over to Peter, pointing at the map that was on it. 

“Choose wisely, kid.” 

Peter looked at the map, at its sprawling highways and roads and possibilities that laid across it. He studied it for a moment before closing his eyes and pointing. 

Tony’s pleased little sound told him it’d all work out. 

**Author's Note:**

> Sony and Marvel can pry MCU Spider-Man from my cold dead hands. 
> 
> I'll still be writing for the Iron Dad fandom because I love it so much and little things like canon and IP rights won't stop me.
> 
> Thanks for reading and love y'all <3
> 
> Come visit me on [ tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/awwcoffee92) <3


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